Laws

We all tend to resist the practice of giving because so little is known about the laws that govern giving, except popular sayings like, it is better to give than receive; the Dead Sea is the Dead Sea, because it continually receives and never gives; as you give, so shall you receive. This is not to say that people are not generous, especially when it comes to tipping or giving to great causes like cancer research or food for the homeless. All of these tug at our heart-strings and open up something within us that compels us to give back.

Does anybody know where I can obtain a listing of federal laws that the government has no intention of enforcing? Or of prosecuting? You know, like in the Arizona situation, where the government sued Arizona because the Grand Canyon State tried to actually enforce federal immigration laws. The government, having no intention of actually enforcing its own laws, got all worked up when Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer decided to "Do the job America won't do." And now a federal judge has decided that it, for the most part, can't.

What does it mean for us to be a nation of laws and not of men? This mainstay of our republic takes into account that each one of us, whether beggar or scion, or president of a bank — or of the country — is human, and thus vulnerable to human frailties. Thus our Constitution places us all in the care of an institution of laws that are (ideally) created with patience and reflection. Then those laws will, in turn, protect and defend us in times of peace or strife, but all while helping us to still maintain our sacred liberties.

It is unfortunate that Steve Smith resorted to silly name-calling in his recent pro-illegal-immigrant column ("Juvenile, divisive and just plain wrong," On the Town, May 6). That is a sign that he has no facts to present. And many ideas he did present were inaccurate. Smith said "we didn't care" that we were importing cheap labor and that "they went to some of our schools" and "visited some of our hospital emergency rooms." Nothing could be further from the truth. Americans do care about our country.

Danette Goulet NEWPORT--MESA -- Local and District PTA presidents will meet today to draft a statewide resolution in support of tougher sexual predator laws. If the state PTA passes the resolution, the powerful lobbying group will join Costa Mesa resident Lynn Vogt in her fight to see stricter laws protecting children. Vogt's crusade began after police showed up on her doorstep last April. They told her that Cary Jay Smith, a registered sex offender, had allegedly kept a journal of his desire to rape, kidnap and kill her 7-year-old son. Police told Vogt that Smith's wife had found the journal entry in his car and turned it over to his psychologist, who in turn notified police.

Agood day-labor center works for the community, for the worker and for the contractor, and it works within the laws of the city, the state and the nation. The problem is I have yet to find a good day-labor center. For the past year, I have looked at the day-labor centers in Burbank, Glendale, Laguna Beach, Pomona and Rancho Cucamonga. I have also seen the informal sites in Fullerton, Garden Grove and Lake Forest. None of them work right. The day-labor centers that do not encourage the employer to screen the prospective worker for eligibility for employment in the U.S. are in violation of the laws and pervert the morals of the community.

Regarding Judge James P. Gray's column, "Immigration system is ineffective" (July 15), yes, the immigration system is ineffective (and unenforced). No, the system has not failed, only the enforcement of the law is failing. Yes, it is the federal government's power to control our borders. The honorable Judge Gray appears to forget who the federal government is. It is us ? the taxpayers, the voters ? and we are up in arms to have our corrupt leaders of the executive, legislative and judicial branches enforce the laws.

Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor?s call last week to find stricter ways to crack down on illegal immigrants in the city may be too limited in the eyes of the law, one of the nation?s top constitutional lawyers said Friday. Before enforcing any laws, they would have to be within Costa Mesa?s purview. ?Generally, cities and states can?t enforce federal immigration laws,? said Erwin Chemerinsky, founding dean of the UC Irvine School of Law. ?Only federal law can do that, and Arizona will test that.

A few comments regarding Chuck Cassity’s opinion piece (Sounding Off: “Just say ‘No’ to misguided reform,” Dec. 15). First, health care is 16% of a $14-trillion economy that’s run amok, is bloated and inefficient, and fails to satisfy those covered under it, let alone the tens of millions who have no access to it. The government-run option, Medicare, is one of the bright spots. The biggest fear of those in it is that someone might take it away.

June Casagrande They knew the law was complicated, but they didn't know how complicated. After a detailed and well-attended study session on laws governing residential drug-treatment facilities, the City Council decided Tuesday that the best prescription was another study session. "We need to get a better understanding of state laws and our local zoning ordinances, too," Mayor Tod Ridgeway said near the end of a study session, which focused primarily on federal law. The City Council heard the detailed legal analysis before a nearly full chamber of community members.

Costa Mesa's Civic Openness in Negotiations, or COIN, ordinance could soon be tested on a bigger stage, Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach said Tuesday. Near the end of this week's board of supervisors meeting, he told colleagues that he hopes to bring a modified version of the law - which aims to increase transparency in what have become reliably fractious public employee contract negotiations - before the full panel in late May. "We're busy putting it together, working with county counsel," he said by phone Wednesday.

A bill that would require drug and alcohol rehabilitation homes to report residents' deaths passed the California's Assembly Health Committee last week. Assembly Bill 2374, introduced by Assemblyman Allan Mansoor, (R-Costa Mesa), would order the residential treatment centers to call in any resident's death within one working day and follow up with details in a written report to the state Department of Health Care Services. The reports would be required regardless of the cause of death or whether the death occurred at the rehabilitation home.

A proposed ordinance that would ease building requirements for small developments faces its second reading Tuesday before the Costa Mesa City Council. The Small-Lot Subdivision Ordinance would be applied to projects containing up to 15 units in areas already zoned for multi-family housing. City staff contends that the law would "promote affordable ownership housing by providing more flexible development standards" and other maintenance issues for underutilized, multifamily residential lots.

Attorney Michael Caspino and 10 members of his staff have joined the Irvine law practice The Busch Firm to form Busch & Caspino , which will focus on estate and tax planning, corporate real estate and business litigation, as well as religious organizations and canon law. Caspino was previously a partner in Brady, Vorwerck, Ryder and Caspino, which is dissolving its practice in Orange, according to a new release. The new firm will have 32 employees. Its client list includes JSerra High School, Marriott International and the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Whittier Law School students and alumni shared their stories and experiences to roughly a dozen Orange County college students Friday afternoon. The goal of the Costa Mesa-based law school's Diversity Day event, put on by the Hispanic American Law Student Assn., was to provide information to college students, especially minorities who are thinking about entering law school, said Luis Elias, a third-year student at Whittier and president of the...

The City Council on Tuesday will consider a proposed law designed to create more flexible standards for certain housing developments in Costa Mesa. The Small-Lot Subdivision Ordinance would ease requirements on developers of relatively small land parcels, allowing them to build up to 15 dwellings. It would eliminate a required minimum distance between buildings and reduce the amount of open space throughout a development to 30%, down from 40%. Open space in this context includes porches, covered patios, roof decks and balconies.

The Costa Mesa Charter Committee on Wednesday approved adding to the under-construction document language that aims to bring more transparency to labor negotiations. The wording, prepared by the committee's legal counsel, would strengthen and further solidify the city's COIN ordinance, or Civic Openness in Negotiations, by placing it in the proposed city constitution - which is expected to go before voters in November. The council approved the ordinance, authored by Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger, in 2012.

I recently received a letter requesting that I recuse myself from the blackball issue. It was from Equal Beach Access for All. The writers of the letter are concerned that my late father made harsh comments about surfers. He made some harsh comments about men divorcing their wives. Should I recuse myself from every issue involving divorced men? They also pointed to a comment of mine. I stated that I had read some of the online comments about The Wedge issue and was embarrassed to say I was a surfer.

As healthcare providers throughout the country scramble to keep up with Affordable Care Act's ongoing rollout, officials at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach said its doctors will be accessible through the state's insurance exchange. But while Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Mitzner said the situation "continues to be rather fluid," Hoag is so far participating in one insurance plan available through Covered California. "As we move through 2014, we will partner with [Covered California]

At a meeting this week, Costa Mesa city officials discussed one of the latest attempts to address excessively problematic motels: charging them for the trouble. On Tuesday night, four members of the City Council - Councilwoman Wendy Leece left the meeting early - heard about a proposed ordinance that would help the city recover the public safety costs associated with motels that have disproportionately high crime rates . The "excessive use of resources" ordinance could be a "good first start" toward giving motel owners more accountability for what happens on their properties, said Rick Francis, assistant city CEO. "In a sense, this is a way to get motel owners to be a little bit more responsible and responsive to solving their own problems and not having our Police Department act, literally, as a security guard for their issues," he said.